A Few Good Men: 10 Doctrinally Sound Male Teachers

Ladies, the Christian retailing machine isn’t doing us any favors when it comes to Bible study and theology.

First, they’ve created the impression that in order to study God’s word, we have to buy a book, workbook, or DVD by a Christian author. Next, they show us the materials we have to choose from by cordoning off part of the store or web site under the heading “Women’s Bible Study.” Finally, they fill the shelves in that department with materials penned almost exclusively by women, the majority of whom (even at supposedly trustworthy LifeWay) are false teachers.

Let’s think outside that box, shall we?

First, you do not have to use someone’s book to study the Bible. In fact, I recommend that you don’t. Just pick up your Bible and study it in a systematic way. Next, if you do decide to use a Bible study book or other resource, it does not have to be written by a woman (though there are some great female teachers I’ve recommended here, here, and here). If you limit yourself to women authors, you’re going to miss out on some wonderful teaching by the many doctrinally sound male teachers out there. Let me introduce you to a few of my favorite pastors and male authors of Bible studies and other great Christian books and resources.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Don’t take my (or anyone else’s) word for it that any ministry, podcast, book, or blog is biblical in its doctrine. You MUST do the work of comparing with Scripture everything you read and hear. If it doesn’t match up with God’s word (in context), chuck it.

1.Charles Spurgeon– “The Prince of Preachers,” Spurgeon was “England’s best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century…Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000.” Most of his works are still in print in both hardcover and e-book format, and many are available on line for free. You may wish to use his sermons as individual Bible study lessons, or try his commentaries as you study. The brief devotions in Spurgeons’ Morning and Evening are a favorite of many, and you’re sure to be edified by his many other books as well. FacebookTwitter

2. John MacArthur– “John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, as well as an author, conference speaker, president of The Master’s College and Seminary, and featured teacher with the Grace to You media ministry.” Dr. MacArthur has written approximately 400 books, including study guides, commenataries, Bible studies, and more. You might enjoy one of his free on line daily devotions, one of his study books, a sermon on the passage of Scripture you’re studying, or one of his books on a variety of biblical topics. FacebookTwitter

3. Steve Lawson– A pastor for 34 years, Dr. Lawson is now founder and president of OnePassion Ministries, “a ministry designed to equip biblical expositors to bring about a new reformation in the church.” He serves on the board of Ligonier Ministries and The Master’s Seminary, where he is also Professor of Preaching. Dr. Lawson has written twenty books, from commentaries to preaching texts, to an interesting series of profiles of godly men of the past such as Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, William Tyndale, and others. Study the Bible with Dr. Lawson’s transcribed sermons and Bible study lessons, or listen to one of his many excellent messages. FacebookTwitter

4. Todd Friel– Todd is the host of Wretched Radio, a daily two hour program dealing with discernment, evangelism, the church, theological aspects of current events, and various other topics (Wretched TV is a daily 30 minute television version of the show). “Witness Wednesday” is a great way to get “boots on the ground” training in how to share the gospel. Todd has produced a myriad of materials for both churches and individuals on biblical topics such as marriage, church history, parenting, anxiety, pornography, and more. His most recent book, Judge Not, deals with the false doctrine dreck and seeker-driven shenanigans that are currently infiltrating the church. FacebookTwitter

5. Paul Washer– An echo of Paul the Apostle, Paul Washer served as a missionary in Peru for ten years where he also founded the HeartCry Missionary Society. HeartCry now supports church planters in Peru and indigenous missionaries world wide. Paul is a challenging author and a sought after speaker who boldly exhorts the church. You might enjoy working through one of his studies, The One True God or The Truth about Man, or being built up by one of his sermons. FacebookTwitter

6. Chris Rosebrough– Chris is the host of the daily discernment and Bible teaching radio program, Fighting for the Faith. He is also the pastor of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church in Oslo, Minnesota. If you want to learn discernment, how to rightly handle God’s word in context, and keep up with the latest false doctrine infiltrating the church, look no further. In addition to the daily broadcast, listen to Rosebrough’s Ramblings as Chris takes his Sunday School class through various books of the Bible, and explore the other recommended teaching resources on the web site. FacebookTwitter

Update: Dr. Sproul went home to be with the Lord on December 14, 2017. He is greatly missed, but his materials are still phenomenally beneficial to the church and remain available at the links above.

8. Phil Johnson– “Phil is the Executive Director of Grace to You. He has been closely associated with John MacArthur since 1981 and edits most of John’s major books…Phil was an editor at Moody Press before coming to Grace Community Church. He is an elder at Grace Community Church and pastors the GraceLife fellowship group.” Phil is an amazing lecturer and preacher with an incredible depth of knowledge of church and biblical history. You’ll enjoy the theological richness of Phil’s sermons (check out his “Bible Q & A” teachings) and be challenged by his blog articles at Pyromaniacs. FacebookTwitter

9. Alistair Begg– “Alistair Begg has been in pastoral ministry since 1975.” Formerly of Scotland, “in 1983, he became the senior pastor at Parkside Church near Cleveland, Ohio. He has written several books and is heard daily and weekly on the radio program, Truth For Life.” Subscribe to the daily Truth for Life devotion or get the app, listen to a sermon on the passage of Scripture you’re studying, check in with the Truth for Life blog, or read one of Alistair’s fine books. FacebookTwitter

10. Voddie Baucham– After serving as a pastor and seminary professor in Texas for several years, Voddie recently accepted a position as Dean of Seminary at African Christian University in Zambia. “Whether teaching on classical apologetic issues such as the validity and historicity of the Bible or the resurrection of Christ or teaching on cultural issues, such as gender roles, marriage, and family, he says his goal is to help people understand the significance of thinking and living biblically in every area of life.” Listen to one of Voddie’s many fine sermons, or check out his books on a variety of biblical topics. FacebookTwitter

136 thoughts on “A Few Good Men: 10 Doctrinally Sound Male Teachers”

Awesome list. There are many others that could be on this list, but the 10 you’ve chosen are among my go to gang of Godly teachers. I was amused you included Todd Friel, and impressed you had Voddie Baucham on the list. I was blessed by Voddie when he spoke at a men’s conference at my church and have not stopped learning from him ever since. As for Todd, no one says as much biblically sound and honest things while making you laugh at the same time.

Yes, it was hard to limit the list to 10! One of the things I appreciate about Todd is the gentleness and grace with which he approaches the people he talks about. And, you’re right, he’s funny! :0) Voddie’s a good one, too. I know the seminary needs him, but I’m hoping to see more of him once he gets everything settled down there.

I’d encourage you to give any of the gents on this list a try. I think you’ll find them pastoral, yet challenging, and all of them trustworthy in both their doctrine and their associations and ministry partnerships.

I have read and listened to all on your list and consider them to be sound teachers as well. Just wondering, and realizing you limited your list to 10, would you consider Albert Mohler sound as well? I respect his teaching as much as the others listed.

For the most part, yes. He has said and done a handful of things over the past five years or so that caused me to raise an eyebrow, but, of the sermons/lectures of his that I have had the occasion to listen to, I’ve not heard anything unbiblical.

For me, nobody beats the precision, clarity (to a nonseminary female like me), and reliability of John MacArthur.
I also really enjoy David Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He brings a stately passion to his messages that our generation sorely lacks!
Chris in NC

Thank you for the list, Michelle! I have listened to all but two of these men. I have my favorites on the list that I listen to almost every week. I am going to check out the ones I have not heard of. Thanks again! God Bless!

Michelle, sorry if this is a bit off topic, but what is your opinion of men teaching devotions and such written by women? I’d this the same add being taught by a woman? Love this list. Yes, you definitely need to add another 10! I’m much older so I loved seeing some of the older teachers in there. I cut my teeth on Chuck Swindol and Charles Stanley. Thanks for ask you do!

Technically and theoretically, I would generally say it’s OK (see this article) but when the rubber meets the road, it kind of depends on the situation. A few thoughts:

1. I’m not a big fan of classes doing book/DVD studies. Not that all book/DVD studies are bad, just that we desperately need people to be trained in God’s word and how to study it, and that can be better accomplished by simply teaching through Scripture. In that case, there would be absolutely no problem with a male teacher of male/co-ed groups using materials written by women as prep materials.

2. If a man were teaching a women’s class (it does happen :0) and he wanted to use a book study written by a woman, that would not be a problem, assuming he can find one that’s doctrinally sound. (Trust me, they are rare as hens’ teeth.)

3. Most book studies written by women are also written FOR women, which I do not think would be appropriate to teach to a co-ed or men’s class (why would men want to do a study aimed at women, and vice versa?)

4. If you can find a book study that’s doctrinally sound and isn’t aimed at women, it would be OK (the male teacher is still the one teaching the class and in authority over it), but I would encourage the teacher that it might be better to find a good, doctrinally sound study written by a man (there are plenty of those out there) just to avoid any stumbling blocks for anybody.

So to sum up:

Doctrinally sound book for a general audience, written by a woman- good

Doctrinally sound book for a general audience, written by a man- better

The issue is actually a young male Christian who is using Jesus Calling as his daily devotion. I already know that book is trash, but it got me to thinking. Since men have a higher level in the spiritual hierarchy, doesn’t using a woman’s teaching open him up to more possible deception? Thanks for ask you do. So glad to have found you! Stay strong in the fight!

The primary problem with Jesus Calling for men or women is that, as you said, it is false doctrine. And that’s ample reason why no one should be reading the books in that series. As a far more secondary issue, I’d be a little concerned for any man who is reading that book for his own study. It is extremely feminine. Men need strong, godly, male influences to teach and set the example of biblical manhood.

“Since men have a higher level in the spiritual hierarchy, doesn’t using a woman’s teaching open him up to more possible deception?”

No. I could be wrong, but I don’t recall a passage of Scripture that says men are more likely to be deceived by using a woman’s teaching. However, I will say this- ANYONE who seeks out a female teacher these days, at the Christian book store or even at the local church level (Sunday School teachers, Bible study leaders, etc.), is statistically more likely to receive false teaching than anyone who seeks out a male teacher. Why? Because nearly all of the best known female Bible teachers/authors/speakers on the store shelves are false teachers. Then when you walk into your church, you’re likely to find that most of the female teachers are fans of, and emulate, those false teachers you found at the book store. (You’re more likely to find a doctrinally sound male teacher because there are far more male teachers, period, and because there are many of them who hold to sound, biblical doctrine.)

I met and spoke to Justin peters at a conference one time. He said the man he listens to on a regular basis that nobody knows of is Dr. Bryan Hughes gbcmt.org he is on the board of directors at the Masters university and Seminary. I listen to this man almost daily as I live only 30 miles from him. Great expositor.

A wonderful list, Michelle, and it’s deeply comforting to know these great teachers are out there to guide us in these troubled times. Your opening point is very valid: so many of us seem to be “The Bible and…” Christians instead of just opening the Book and reading it.

I agree! I was just remarking to someone yesterday that I probably need to do a list of “unknown” guys (I know a bunch personally who are awesome) and a list of the “old dead guys.” Praise God there are so many godly men out there to learn from!

Great list. May i also suggest Dr. Paul Elliott of Teaching the Word. He is a wonderful bible expositor. He encourages daily bible reading and study, his website has a grat data base for questions you might have, and he sends out a daily email if you sign up for it. http://www.teaghingtheword.org

I am interested to know if you’ve ever listened to BBNradio.org? They have many teachers, especially on their Conference Pulpit as well as the regularly featured speakers throughout the day.

I am familiar with the Kendrick brothers and their movies, and was surprised when I started hearing controversy about their newest movie War Room. I have not seen it since becoming aware of that. I was already aware of Beth Moore and Joyce Meyer and the Osteens. What prompted my finding your site and researching it was a photo of Michelle Duggar with Patricia Shirer. I didn’t know who she, Patricia, was and I wanted to find out her theology and associates. I have heard of Dr Tony Evans. My, oh my, how convoluted things can become!

I hàve been confused about Kay Arthur and her appearing with people in line with Joyce Meyer and Beth Moore. Your article helped in clearing some confusion I have had regarding her.

Hi Ingrid- Glad to be of help. I am not familiar with BBN Radio. I glanced over it a bit, and while I’m not familiar with most of the names on the Conference Pulpit, I saw a few that I know to be doctrinally solid, and none that jumped out as definite false teachers. I would encourage readers, as with any other site, to explore discerningly and compare everything to Scripture. :0)

BBN is very armenian ..Love John MacArthur..R C is ok except he sees Israel and the Church as the same..U need to keep them separate..two different peoples..cant think of the word right now..also cannot go wrong with Calvin..became a calvinist 3 yrs ago reading a sermon by JM..

Here’s a blurb from his bio on the GIBC website: Prior to his ministry in Florida, Jerry served for many years as Sr. Associate Pastor and Personal Assistant to Dr. John MacArthur at Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, CA. He serves as Board Chairman and a faculty member of The Expositors Seminary in Jupiter and is a graduate of The Master’s Seminary. In addition to various articles and essays, Jerry has published a book for churchmen entitled Exemplary Spiritual Leadership.

All the guys at grace Immanuel are excellent! If you can, join us for their ekklesia conference they hold every year. So blessed to have their ministry right down the road. Daron roberts just finished a great teaching time on hermeneutics. I would encourage anyone to listen. By the way love your list, never heard of your website but i will be referring friends to read your articles, thank you!

Thank you Michelle, the list is great. I would add Justin Peters (so humble and kind and right on theologically), Brannon Howse and Mike Abendroth. You are so right about few and far between when it comes to women teacher’s but I have found one and her name is Susan Heck. Her husband is a Pastor in Oklahoma, and she is sound in her doctrine. My husband and I came out of the Assemblies of God and started listening to John MacArthur first, and it was amazing, then we also started to listen to Brannon Howse and I bought “Twisted Scriptures, Twisted Theology”. It is amazing and taught us how we had been taught wrong for so many years. I am so thankful I found your site and want to thank you for being so diligent in what you do and speaking truth. As a pastor’s wife, you have helped me so much, thank you.

There are a lot of links out there and there seem to be a number of them with the same reference to where he preached about how a man will want to leave their wife for a younger woman and the daughter comment. I have not researched the validity of, or worldview of the bloggers. Attaching one. Another is from a more liberal source, however he does seem to have documented his accusations against The Gospel Coalition in endorsing some questionable men. I can email that to you if you want it.

Hi Robin- I’m familiar with that site. In order not to draw out an avalanche of attack comments from enthusiastic supporters of that genre of blog, let me just briefly say, I do not consider it, nor those of its ilk, a reliable source. They have axes to grind and frequently take things out of context to support their agenda. It might be best to simply e-mail Voddie and ask him where he stands.

I agree with you, Michelle. In my opinion, I find it often is hard to have to the time to research the reliability of online blogs and reviews. It was actually another lady, who commented on the “daughters” comment by Voddie. I just got in on the discussion, so perhaps she would be the one who could provide a reputable link or follow up with an email to him.

Great list! I listen to quite a few of the men you have listed; I have added Jim Osman to my podcast list. He is the pastor of Justin Peters’ church, Kootenai Community Church. Also author of ‘truth or territory’ re spiritual battles.
Thank you for your insight and thank you for the list of sound women also. Again a few of my favourites, but it’s great to have more names to check out.

Yes that’s true. Thanks for checking (duh like you wouldn’t )
I’m currently listening to Jims podcasts through John; he brings the words to new lights; particularly those round the crucifixion.
Oh I could go on 😉

We were at a church for over six years and I felt stagnant in my learning of scripture. I started listening to men like Paul Washer & Voddie Bachum & started to learn so much. Where I had thought I had no more to learn I realized I knew nothing at all. My husband & I are huge fans of most of the teachers you posted, I think there’s two I didn’t know of yet. I’ll bring them to my husband’s attention to see what he thinks of them. Thank you.

On a funny note my husband had been told at a former church that the pastor would never have a person like Paul Washer teach at his pulpit because he was “arrogant”. My husband said “I’m sorry to say this to you, but you wouldn’t have him teach at your pulpit because you wouldn’t risk loosing 90% of the goats you have & many on staff”. By this pastor’s own acknowledgement most of the people in his 4,000 person church were unsaved & many had attended for over 10years or so. There were so many “carnal Christians”, a term I loath, it’s saying you can be Unrejuvenated & show no spiritual fruits of salvation & still think you’ll be in heaven. It was a biblically sound church but there was no emphasis on calling out the false doctrine in another brother within the church. I mean sure people like Ostean & Meyer could be called heretical but not the person sitting in the pew next to you who was an elder or teacher claiming that “God won’t give you nothing you can’t handle!”

We currently attend a church out of state but to be honest, we are sort of “done” with church as a whole. We’ve seen so much go on amongst leadership & have had so much spiritual abuse we are burned out. Looking for a scripturely sound, non legalistic church seems nearly impossible at least up here in New Jersey.

Oh please, do not give up on finding a biblically sound church . As a brand new babe in Christ, I walked 2 bloicks to a church in my neighborhood. It was teeny tiny (I made an even dozen). I sat in this church for 18 months, as I studied God’s word and hermeneutics on my own. I ask questions about the doctrines of grace…for which they did not believe. Oh they would say they did, if ask that way. But if you ask…did Christ die for everyone, why yes He did, can I lose my salvation, yes you can….well what about that verse that says NO ONE can snatch you out of the Fathers hand? Oh that’s right, no one can, but YOU can jump out! (Complete with hand signs to denote one jumping out of the Fathers hand). Oh it did go on to the point that one of the elders screamed at me in Sunday School. Even though I was an elderly lady at that time, I was a young whipper snapper and new in my walk, and my zeal would die down they said.. I even started a hermeneutics study (Mark Keilar’s Word Pictures…Becoming a Workman series) and invited the whole church. Only 2 came and it wasn’t to learn. When I finally walked out of the church due to a young pastor coming in and telling us he was the only one who could build our church, even those 2 who had been supposedly studying with me quit and told me they were only coming for me so I would not be there alone. I have news for them. I am never alone with Christ, but have never felt more isolated while surrounded by people. Does that make sense? My brother tried to start a reformed church, but that was a 2 hour drive from me and alas my age and my health along with finances for gas etc. prevented me from going after a year. For the next 2 years, I looked online for churches. Some were quite easy to cross off ( women pastors, or elders…and things.) One little church, I literally had to run out of on my second visit. They refused to let me partake in the LORD’s supper ( they evidently examined my heart for me) and then all 35-40 people broke out in what I am sure they thought were tongues. I ran and thanked God for the early warning even as I ran. Sooooo, to make a long story short..and I know it seems too late for that , but I promise you this is a very edited version, I prayed and prayed, and pleaded with the Lord to guide me to a sound church. I spent my Sundays listening to sermons online while cruising the internet everyday. I found a church 7 miles from my house. A small biblically sound church who worships God, who believes in the inerrancy of the Bible, who disciples all who come and who practices church discipline. One can NOT become a member unless they have made a profession of Christ and have been baptized as a believer at some time. I waited 9 months , then became a member. So please, do not give up. Never give up. I will pray for you as I pray all His children to find a place to go and to praise , pray and fellowship with each other.

As the article mentions, this is by no means an exhaustive list. I’m planning to do at least one more list similar to this one at some point in the future.

However, John Piper, as nice of a guy as he is and as helpful as some of his materials are, will probably not be on those lists. While I consider him to be generally doctrinally sound and agree with him in many aspects of theology, he is not someone I proactively recommend for a few reasons:

1. He’s a continuationist. I usually limit my endorsements to cessationists.

2. I’m concerned about his associations and partnerships with false teachers (which violates 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, Romans 16:17-18, and 2 John 9-11). First he appeared to embrace Rick Warren when he interviewed him and invited him to speak at the Desiring God conference a few years ago. More recently, he has been a featured speaker at events like the Passion conference where he has shared the stage with Christine Caine, Beth Moore, and Judah Smith.

3. His complementarianism seems muddled at best. On the one hand he will go so far as to say that Christian women cannot be police officers (the Bible mentions nothing of the sort), yet on the other hand he joins in ministry with Caine and Moore who – in addition the the false doctrine they preach – both actively and unrepentantly violate clear Scripture by preaching to men.

I’m not going to warn people away from John Piper as a false teacher, but I can’t in good conscience recommend him either.

I would definitely recommend Michael Horton of the White Horse Inn and Modern Reformation. Also, what about R.C. Sproul (Sr. not Jr.!)? And the late Jerry Bridges work and books are wonderful. Totally agree with Begg and have heard him preach personally. I’ve also heard Tim Keller. His preaching was great.

R.C. Sproul, Sr. is #7 in this very article :0) Bridges and Horton are wonderful teachers, indeed. I don’t tend to recommend Tim Keller as he is a continuationist and also subscribes to theistic evolution, although, otherwise, his doctrine is generally sound.

Hi – Great list. I would like to recommend my pastor, Mike Abendroth, of No Compromise Radio and pastor of Bethlehem Bible Church. Wonderful teaching and speaking. Check him out! Friend of Phil Johnson, John MacArthur. Both have been to our church as well as Todd Friel, Steve Lawson. Mike’is latest book is “Evangelical White Lies”.

I have a very hard time getting past John MacArthur’s, and other’s on your list, Lordship Salvation-Works stance. To me, it taints his body of work. He definitely is not on my list. I avoid those with Calvinistic leanings.

Lordship-Salvation works is not a Calvinistic belief. I’m Reformed and not a MacArthur follower. I believe, unless I’m mistaken, that MacArthur has said at one time that he is not a Calvinist. He is Dispensationalist as far as I know.

Thanks, Bonnie. I’m not familiar with this site or Dr. Broggi, but at a quick glance it seems to have a biblical statement of faith and nothing I saw raised a red flag right off the bat. As with any pastor or ministry, I encourage ladies to read and listen discerningly and compare all teachings with Scripture.

I don’t think it’s anything to be alarmed about. Sproul is doctrinally sound, and, to my knowledge has never partnered with a false teacher in ministry.

The NRB convention is a business convention, not a theological/ministry/church conference. I would not construe Sproul’s (or any other doctrinally sound and discerning pastor/teacher) participation as partnering with false teachers, but rather demonstrating, via his high profile, that NRB does carry some doctrinally sound teachers and encouraging people to partake of NRB’s programs that feature doctrinally sound teachers.

Thank you so much for your lists. I’ve learned over the past few years that TBN is dangerous to the Christian soul and now I’m on a journey to find good solid Biblical teaching while still avoiding all false teachers so these lists are more valuable than you know for a newer believer like myself. I already listen to Paul Washer, R.C. Sproul and I used to listen to John MacArthur, but I would really like to know your feelings on him advising people that they can take the mark of the beast and possibly make it to heaven. Please let me know what you think about this!

I’m surprised that I cannot find Erwin Lutzer in either of your lists or their comments. After reading your false teachers section, I feel like maybe I was naively listening to the wrong man? Although I regularly listen to him, Alistair Begg and John MacArthur and feel no real difference.

As I’ve mentioned, these are not exhaustive lists. There are many more than these 10 godly men out there, both well-known and obscure, that rightly preach and handle God’s word. I’ll be putting out more lists in the future.

I’m not familiar with Erwin Lutzer, so I couldn’t say at this point whether or not I recommend him. I don’t really know anything about him.

Hi Mel- I would steer clear of all three. John Hagee teaches demonstrably false doctrine. Ed Young (I’m assuming you mean junior, not senior) twists Scripture and acts about as undignified as I’ve ever seen a grown man of his age act. David Jeremiah’s doctrine is OK from what I understand, but he isn’t very discerning- showing a willingness to team up with people like Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen. You can hear some teaching about the problems with Hagee and Young here (just put each of their names in the search bar). There are so many fantastic teachers out there, it would be easy to leave these three guys behind and never miss them :0)

Thanks for the list.. I like Pastor Charles Lawson, and John Courson Bible teaching..
I have listened to some of the preachers on your list, I was a little confused about Voddie, I liked his preaching, but then read he is a Calvinist.. don’t they believe that certain people are chosen to follow God.. and the others are not chosen so they will never believe? Charles Spurgeon is great reading.. I really enjoy his writings..

Thanks for asking! Actually, all of the men on this list are Calvinists/Reformed – including Spurgeon – with the exception of Chris Rosebrough, who is Lutheran (but believes many of the same things Calvinists believe.) I also consider myself mostly Reformed (you can read more about my beliefs under the “statement of faith” tab at the top of this page).

Here are a couple of articles that will help you understand Calvinism and predestination a little bit better:

I have been listening to A.W. Criswell a former pastor of Dallas Baptist Church. He is old school, but very powerful. Right know I listening to his sermons on the Book of Isaiah. Thanks for your ministry Michelle.

Many names I don’t know yet! Thank you! I love listening to Stephen Armstrong from Verse by Verse Ministries International. All his teachings are available for free and in podcasts format or straight from their website with downloadable notes.https://www.versebyverseministry.org

Also Tom Larmore of Christ’s Bible Fellowship Guam. https://cbfguam.org. I attended his church when we were stationed in Guam with the military. Another Verse by Verse expository teacher!! He has a YouTube channel and now does podcasts as well!

Yes, I heard that episode. He was using the classic, correct theological definition of heresy, which a lot of people are unaware of these days because the term is tossed about so haphazardly. Real heresy is narrowly focused. It has only to do with the doctrines of salvation. In other words, the things you have to believe to be a Christian, and the things you can’t believe to be a Christian.

For example, T.D. Jakes is a heretic for two reasons: a) he is a modalist, a classic heresy which denies the biblical nature of the Trinity, and b) he preaches Word of Faith heresy – “another gospel” as described in Galatians 1:6-9.

Rick Warren, on the other hand, would fall into the category of “false teacher”. He says and does a lot of unbiblical things which he needs to stop and repent of, and nobody should be following him, but he does not preach or claim to believe anything (to my knowledge anyway) that goes against the basic doctrines of salvation. If you sat him down and talked to him, he would affirm the biblical doctrine of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, that Christ is the only way of salvation, etc. (As I recall, Todd mentioned something to that effect on that episode.)

I think the confusion is that the correct definition of heresy differentiates between true heretics and false teachers, but many Christians don’t seem to understand that because the terms “heretic” and “false teacher” are often used interchangeably. The fault here is not with Todd. What he said was correct. The fault lies with people who don’t understand the difference between true heresy and false teaching.

You’re more than welcome. I feel like that’s probably how Todd would explain what he said, but I hate to speak for him. You may want to shoot him a quick e-mail (he’s very good about responding) if you have more questions, or just to confirm that’s what he meant.

Hi Anthony- As it clearly says in the introductory paragraph of the “Recommended Bible Teachers” tab where you probably found this article, “These lists are not comprehensive.”. They are lists of men I have listened to or read and am familiar enough with to feel comfortable recommending.

The main reason Chuck Missler is not on this list is that I’ve never heard of him. However, after a brief Google search on him, due to his theology (“Cosmic Codes”, end times prophecy, UFOs, etc.) he’s not someone I would recommend even if I had heard of him. If he’s one of your favorite authors, I would strongly encourage you to look into some of the pastors/authors I’ve listed here.

Hi Michelle,
My wife and I are immature believers. We are recent, we have been duped by apostasy and false teachers before. My wife was a Jehovahs Witness for a time and it caused me to doubt who Jesus was. I am very happy to say that we know Jesus is as much man as He is God now. We are doing our best to learn and study but it is like we live in a sea of false teachers. We love Alistair Begg, R.C. Sproul and John MacArthur. However, we also love David Jeremiah. We didnt realize he supported people who are known false teachers. We are reading his books Agents of the Apocalypse and Agents of Babylon and a few others but now we dont really know how to feel about them- whether it is okay to read them or to totally ditch them. We are also struggling a bit with predestination. I seem to lean in this direction because God is all knowing and perfectly sovereign and He must know who will be saved and who wont. There are loads of places that say He knew us or called us from the beginning. I dont believe God has made Himself blind as to who might believe one day and leave it to the choice of man who has no good or inclination to seek God in and of himself. However, I still find myself struggling with it in some way and I’m not sure I could exactly point out what my struggle is with. We currently attend a church in Maine that has a freewill doctrine. We love the people, we think they seek God to the best of their ability and they seem to have teaching that is far above any of the other churches in the area. I’m not exactly sure what to do. Could we get you and your church to pray for us? We earnestly desire to seek God and do His will but it seems like we have so much to learn and are struggling with who we should even listen to. Thank you very much!

I am certainly glad to take a moment to pray for you and your wife. It sounds like you are on the right track. If the David Jeremiah books bother your conscience, then put them aside and maybe revisit them in a few years when you are more spiritually mature, and see what you think then. I know this is a challenging time, and you feel like you want to hurry and make up for the lost time you spent in false doctrine, but you have to remember that spiritual growth is a process. It takes time. There is no way to fast track it.

If you feel that God is leading you to possibly move your family to a more Calvinistic church, spend some time in prayer about that. Explore the “Searching for a new church?” tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page. There are resources there that will help you understand what to look for in a good church, or what your current church should be teaching.

Stay in the Word, stay in prayer, relax, and trust God day by day. He knows exactly where you’ve been, exactly where you are right now, and exactly what you need to get you to where He wants you to go. He’s got you. He’ll provide what you need. :0)

Thank you very much! We just got the Charles Spurgeon Study Bible (we have been loving reading his sermons). I know it’s not part of the Bible or anything, but I thought it would be enormously helpful in guiding and broadening our view of Scripture. We appreciate your prayer very much!

Before commenting please see the "Welcome" tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page. Comments are handled manually, so there will be a delay before approved comments are posted. I do not publish comments which promote false doctrine. Cancel reply

Enter your comment here...

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Email (required)(Address never made public)

Name (required)

Website

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account.
( Log Out /
Change )

WELCOME!

If you're new or would like to comment, please see the "Welcome- Start Here" tab at the top of this page. All comments are handled manually, and I do not publish comments which promote false doctrine. Thanks for stopping by!

Good News!

Email Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.